Hazard distance for common structures in a hydrogen refuelling station

This paper analyses accident scenarios that may occur in a hydrogen refuelling station in order to establish the hazard distance from dispenser. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of hydrogen dispersion and explosion in a hydrogen refuelling station were performed with the Flacs (Gexcon) code. The investigated accident scenarios were caused by a hose break during car or bus refuelling. Both flash fire and explosion were considered as possible event. The boundary of the flash fire was determined from the downwind and crosswind dimensions of the flammable gas cloud calculated by dispersion simulations. The explosion damage on building (i.e. store, office), equipment’s and people in proximity to the dispenser were evaluated by means of overpressure results. Hazard distances were then defined.